Preview Poland Darts Open 2026 Saturday evening: Luke Littler & Luke Humphries return to Euro Tour action, plus Bunting, Clayton, Van Veen and more on stacked card

At the 2026 Poland Darts Open, we have now reached the second round. On Saturday evening, the entire world’s top three - Luke Littler, Luke Humphries, and Gian van Veen - take to the stage for the first time.

The Poland Darts Open is the first tournament of the European Tour 2026. It is also the first time a European Tour event is being held in Poland.

The top 16 players on the PDC Order of Merit traditionally receive a first-round bye. As a result, Luke Littler makes his first appearance this evening, with the world number one facing Mike De Decker.

In the second round all matches are best-of-11 legs. Below you can find a preview of the fixtures scheduled for Saturday evening.

The evening session in Krakow opens with Josh Rock against William O'Connor. Josh Rock won last year’s World Cup of Darts alongside Daryl Gurney and delivered strong performances throughout the season. The 24-year-old Northern Irishman is now inside the world’s top 10 and arrives at the Poland Darts Open as the ninth seed. ‘Rocky’ is also appearing in this year’s Premier League Darts, although it has yet to click for him there, as he remains winless after three nights.

In his opening match at the Poland Darts Open, Rock faces the experienced O'Connor. The 39-year-old Irishman defeated Sweden’s Andreas Harrysson 6-4 in round one. Rock and O'Connor have met four times previously, with the head-to-head currently tied at 2-2.

Next up is Jonny Clayton. ‘The Ferret’ arrives in Poland brimming with confidence after winning Night 3 of the Premier League Darts just two days ago. Clayton starts this weekend as the fifth seed and has already claimed three European Tour titles in his career. As recently as last year he triumphed at the Dutch Darts Championship.

The 51-year-old Welshman meets Adam Gawlas in round two, who is 27 years his junior. The Czech regained his PDC Tour Card at the start of this year. In his opening match at the Poland Darts Open he defeated Dutchman Dirk van Duijvenbode 6-3. Gawlas and Clayton have faced each other twice before. The head-to-head is perfectly balanced, although their last meeting dates back to 2021.

Michael Smith versus Joe Cullen pits two former major winners against each other who have both slid down the rankings. Smith, incidentally, was only called up for the Poland Darts Open at the last moment after Michael van Gerwen had to withdraw due to illness.

Smith opens against Cullen, who was too strong in round one for Polish qualifier Krzysztof Kciuk with a 6-2 win. Smith and Cullen have already met thirteen times, with Smith leading the series 14-5.

Luke Littler against Mike De Decker is a repeat of their first-round clash at the recent Winmau World Masters. De Decker had a match dart back then, but it was ultimately Littler who snatched the win, and later the title. In recent weeks, Littler suffered a few defeats in the Premier League Darts, partly due to a bout of flu. However, a wounded Littler is particularly dangerous, and he will undoubtedly be eager to lift the title this weekend.

De Decker’s start to the season has been hot and cold. A few early exits were followed by a quarterfinal run at Players Championship 4. ‘The Real Deal’ struggled last year with the switch to new darts. He has, however, shown in the past that he possesses heavy scoring power. If he can produce that against Littler, we could be in for a tense contest. De Decker does begin with a significant mental hurdle, having never beaten Littler in their previous eight matches.

Callan Rydz is one of the most unpredictable players on the Pro Tour. The 27-year-old Englishman, drafted into the Poland Darts Open at the last minute after Gerwyn Price withdrew, at his best is one of the biggest talents on the circuit. On an off day, however, he can just as easily lose to anyone.

Rydz faces his compatriot Luke Woodhouse in his opening match. “Woody” enjoyed a particularly strong 2025 and has climbed to 21st in the world rankings. Woodhouse was too strong for Carl Sneyd in the first round, winning 6-2. Notably, this is the first-ever meeting between Rydz and Woodhouse.

Another man making his Euro Tour debut for the 2026 season this evening, is former world champion and world number one Luke Humphries. 'Cool Hand Luke', who was recently described by Wayne Mardle as "playing the best darts on the planet right now," will be looking to ensure that good form doesn't go to waste in Poland this weekend.

Ratajski meanwhile, has long been one of the trickiest customers on Tour, and fresh off the back of a standout run at the 2026 PDC World Darts Championship, only being stopped by eventual champion Luke Littler at the Ally Pally, the Pole will be out to impress on home soil.

In the penultimate match of the evening, Niels Zonneveld takes to the stage. The 27-year-old Dutchman defeated Polish qualifier Piotr Maciejczak in his opener. Zonneveld has been playing with plenty of confidence for some time and could well make life very difficult for his second-round opponent, Stephen Bunting.

Bunting starts the tournament as the seventh seed and won two European Tour events last year. The 40-year-old Englishman is also competing in the Premier League Darts, but things haven’t been smooth so far with three consecutive quarterfinal defeats. Bunting and Zonneveld have met three times before, with Bunting winning on each occasion.

The evening session in Krakow concludes with the world number three, Gian van Veen. The 23-year-old from Poederoijen reached the World Championship final at the start of this year and carried that form into two weekly finals in the Premier League Darts early this year. Van Veen has previously reached two European Tour finals, but is still chasing his first title.

In his opening round, Van Veen faces Andrew Gilding. The 55-year-old Englishman should not be underestimated and, at his best, can trouble anyone. In his first match, Gilding beat the Dutch Swede Jeffrey de Graaf 6-3. Gilding posted an impressive average of over 106 in that game. Gilding and Van Veen have met twice before, with the head-to-head perfectly level for now.